Over the last few weeks, the massive turmoil in the lumber commodity markets has slowed down with pricing stabilizing even if the supply issues have not. Taking the place of the lumber in the pricing volatility is steel and metal goods. The cause of this issue is the import tariffs and anti-dumping duties on steel goods from overseas. While it is still a bit early to tell exactly how far the tariffs will go, we do know that many suppliers from rebar to roof metal are increasing their cost to us right away.

In the last week, we have seen announcements from one roofing supplier who is raising prices by 10% based on covering their replacement inventory costs. Most of the rebar we sell is produced in North America, but the consensus is that the price has been artificially low for quite a while to compete with import lines. The price of rebar is expected to jump accordingly. Fasteners and structural steel hangers will follow the same pattern.

To make sure we protect our customers, we have taken similar actions to those we took before the wood prices skyrocketed. We have purchased adequate supply of everyday fasteners and rebar to make sure that we have supply and that we have it at a fair price. When the time comes for us to replace our volume purchases at our normal stock levels, we will be adjusting our pricing accordingly to cover our replacement cost.

As a final note on all of the market volatility, we are working closely with our suppliers to be as transparent as possible about pricing issues and the reasoning behind the increases. We are also working with them to make sure that we set our retail pricing correctly given the competition and perception of value in the market. Twice this year, we have substantially lowered our retail pricing on full lines, structural steel and paint, to make sure that we are doing our part to meet your expectations. We will continue to look for ways to help save and we thank you for your trust in these crazy times.

If you ever want an opinion on where things are heading or why, please reach out to me via email or at the stores by calling 360.452.8933. You can also follow this blog and our social media platforms to stay current on what is happening in the world of building materials.

If you are like me and you lay awake at night thinking about commodity lumber, then please read further. If you do not pay attention to lumber pricing but you have it in your mind to expand your living space or build your dream home this year, then you really should read further. With the unprecedented hurricanes/ flooding along the gulf coast, wild fires in California, and the nationwide building boom still raging, supplies will struggle to keep up with demand.

Right now, we are experiencing shortages on commodity panels like OSB because some mills are off the market (OTM) and others that have product cannot get a rail car spotted. Angeles Millwork placed an order for a truckload of OSB three weeks ago and we should see it by the end of this week. Without even seeing this new stock on the ground, we are placing purchase orders for Hartnagels and Angeles Millwork that should arrive in early March. We are taking this position for two reasons, first and foremost is to protect our supply in and through the building season. The second reason is to do everything we can to help protect our customers from commodity traders that will push prices on OSB up over $20 a sheet in the near future. CDX panels are facing the same challenges with order files pushed into late February.

Outside of the panel inventory, lumber prices are following much the same trajectory. Most of the Douglas Fir fiber we supply comes from the Oregon coast and is not immediately impacted by the counter veiling duty issues. The supply problem comes from directing materials out of our markets and into the rebuilding areas. One area of particular concern is the wide stock, 2×8 through 2×12. On a percentage basis, pricing increased from week to week by more than double digits with some lengths moving up by more than $90/MBF (per thousand board foot). The narrows, 2×4 and 2×6, also saw significant gains with pricing moving up by as much as $35/MBF in some lengths.

As of right now, I have not seen any price increases on engineered word products (EWP) but I do expect them to follow as they will run into the same supply and demand issues related to OSB and veneers used to manufacture i-Joist and laminated beams.

Moving out of the winter and into the spring, we are trying very hard to get a clearer picture of what is happening with commodity markets so that we can better serve and protect our customers. When things change significantly one way or another, I will write about it in this blog and through our social media platforms to keep you all updated. This season has the promise to be very active so please stay tuned.

One of our main focuses as an employee owned company is on building relationships within the community between the homeowner and the professional building community. We have constructed a one stop web-page on our website where we have assembled some of the best and brightest to take care of you and your home. From whole home construction to home maintenance and everything in between, there is a licensed local contractor ready to serve you.

So click HERE to go to our Contractor Referral section of the website and start shopping for the best contractors the Olympic Peninsula has to offer!

On Sale for $499.99 thru 12/24! That’s $180 OFF the retail price!

Perfect for the serious DIYer or remodeling contractor, come in now and treat yourself to an awesome 7 piece combo kit from Makita. But hurry. We have limited supplies and when they’re gone…they’re gone.

The XT706 includes

½” Hammer driver-drill with 480 in. lbs. of max torque

Powerful impact driver with a full 1,460 in. lbs. of max torque

6-1/2” circular saw with 2-1/4″ cutting capacity

Recipro saw with a refined crank mechanism that delivers faster blade speed and longer stroke length for more efficient cutting

4-1/2” angle grinder with an efficient brushless motor for corded grinding performance without the cord

Cordless blower with a full 179 mph of air velocity

Rechargeable flashlight with a high-illumination Xenon bulb

Two 18V LXT Lithium-Ion 3.0Ah batteries

Efficient Rapid optimum charger

Tool bag

It’s part of Makita’s expanding 18V Lithium-Ion system, the world’s largest cordless tool system powered by 18V Lithium-Ion slide-style batteries. Makita 18V Lithium-Ion batteries have the fastest charge times in their categories, so they spend more time working and less time sitting on the charger. For improved tool performance and extended battery life, Makita created Star protection Computer controls. Star protection is communication technology that allows the Star Protection-equipped tool and battery to exchange data in real time and monitor conditions during use to protect against overloading, over-discharging and overheating. For increased versatility, the tool can also be powered by Makita 18V LXT and compact Lithium-Ion batteries with the Star symbol on the battery indicating Star protection inside.

Selecting the right piece of framing lumber for your project does not have to be as complex as the grading rules. This guide to the grades of lumber, is meant to help you get past the uncertainty by giving you the knowledge of what the grades allow and how to achieve an apple to apple comparison of what you see.

Every species has different characteristics for strength and appearance, but they are all graded on the same rules from the American Lumber Standards Committee. The grades, for all that they do, are not much more than a way of telling the user what kind of quality they are buying.

The higher the grade, the better the lumber.

Before going into the Lumber Grading Standards chart to understand grades we need to understand each defect presented;

Checking – A crack in the board that happens along the growth rings and does not go through the entire board.

Grain – Determined by the number of growth rings in the board. Typically measured in rings per inch and is viewed from the end grain of the board.

Knots – A naturally occurring defect in the board caused by branches as the tree grows. Small tight knots are perfectly fine but large loose knots that may fall out are of greater concern.

Pitch or Sap – How trees heal wounds from pruning or fight off other diseases that could be otherwise harmful to a healthy tree.

Pitch Pockets – Places in the board where the tree has grown around the sap enclosing the wound. These pockets coupled with the tight bark layer can be found in the wide face of a board and are not the same as edge wane.

Shake – The separation of woods growth rings that occurs either on the face of the wood or below the surface.

Skips – A manufacturing defect where planners and saws “bounce” along a board or pull the grain, causing an uneven surface to be presented.

Grain Slope – A measurement of the deviation from the natural growth of the board. Simply put, it is the board cut parallel to the grain or across it.

Splits – Cracks in the wood that go all the way through the board.

Stains or Discolorations – Can be caused by insects, fungal decay, or heartwood/sapwood. Some stains have no effect on the performance of the wood, while others limit the strength of the wood. This is because they come from the fast-growing center of the tree.

Wane -The uneven edge of the tree that used to contain the bark of the tree before it was milled.

Warp – In a board is the deviation from straight and true and is called by many different names.

A bow in the board is the end to end change on the wide face. This looks like the bottom of a boat.

A crook in the board is the warping that happens along the narrow edge. This looks like a hockey stick.

A cup in the board is when the wide face curves with the flat grain creating a hollow in the board. This looks like a canoe.

A twist in the board is a combination of multiple warping defects. This often looks like a boomerang or an airplane propeller.

Clear wood requirement is the amount of good wood left after all the defects have been removed from the clean faces of the wood.

The chart below shows the seven grades of framing lumber and the allowable deviation from a perfect piece of lumber.

Lumber Grade Stamps

The final piece of the lumber puzzle is the ability to look at a grade stamp to understand what it is telling you. All stamps on lumber tell us the exact same information; (a) the grading agency, (b) the mill designation, (c) the approved grade, (d) the wood species group, (e) the moisture content.

Common Application

In most jurisdictions, the building code requires #2 Structural, commonly referred to as #2 & Better. This is why it is found at most lumber yards and home centers in your area. Lumber yards will differ on the primary species family they carry. One yard might sell Douglas Fir for the strength characteristics while another chooses Western Hemlock because it is cheaper while still meeting the same building codes.

In many commercial uses, select structural lumber is required because of the strength of the wood fiber. Typically, these are applications with very high point loads due to the increased capacity of the structure itself for storage or for people. Most residential construction that is done with Select Structural lumber is done because the builder and the homeowner prefer the quality of the fiber.

The lesser grades of lumber are often used where structural codes do not matter in industrial or temporary applications. These can be things like pallets and packaging for shipment or concrete footing work where one good face will usually be adequate.

Whatever lumber you choose, knowing the grade will help you determine if it is right for your project. Grading used in conjunction with the design tables will help make sure that your project lasts for as long as you want it to.

For more information on the framing lumber grading rules, please visit the following sources;

In case you missed Mikhail from FastenMaster at Hartnagels, here’s two quick video demos on traditional lag bolts vs. FastenMaster LedgerLok and another on their HB220 Pro Adhesive Fastener or as he describes it, “a glue gun on steroids”!

We want your business to join our growing list of contractors and professionals represented on our website!

The majority of a contractor’s future clients and our retail customers, will search the web first when looking for a qualified contractor. If you are not listed on the internet they will have a hard time finding you and will usually go with a contractor that utilizes the web for proper advertisement.

Building a web presence is beyond the skill and resources of most of us. This is where we want to help. The support of our account holders is paramount in our relationship and we think this assistance is a great way for us to prove it. We know that our contractor clients are the best that the Olympic Peninsula has to offer and your success is our success. We want you, as an account holder, to be a part of our contractor referral page for the community to resource for all their building, remodeling and home maintenance needs. Whether you do $2000 a year with us or $200,000, our end goal is to offer a complete resource of dependable, quality contractors. But we can’t do it without your involvement.

Our retail staff are asked daily for recommendations on different installs, projects and builds so we decided to create a section on our web page called “Contractor Referrals” where we can direct our community and homeowner customers to your personalized web page. Check it out by clicking HERE.

This service is of ZERO cost to our account holders.

We welcome general contractors but we are also searching to fill areas for specialized contractors in painting, plumbing. electrical, fencing, landscaping, concrete, and cleaning.

What Do You Get?

A personalized web page on our website in our Contractor Referrals section under the heading of your expertise that will include the following.

A customized page header with your logo and images.

Full contact information.

Images of the owner and crew.

Images of completed work.

A customer statement of satisfaction of past work completed.

A full submission form that potential customers can fill out desired work to be done and contact information that once filled out is emailed directly to you.

The ability to change the web page at any time utilizing our staff.

Some concerns with many of you is that web pages seem complicated. No worries. We can build your web page with just a small amount of time from you. Our advertising coordinator would need approximately 30 minutes of your time to get the necessary info to fully build out your web page.

The only requirement we have for you to participate is that you MUST ALWAYS be licensed, bonded and insured. This will be checked on a regular basis. It is imperative that for us to provide a resource such as this, that our customers trust who we are recommending.

Getting Started…

We will do a short consultation over the phone or in person at Hartnagel Building Supply and need the following information.

License #

Phone #

Photo of the company’s owner and crew (if applicable).

Short bio on the owner (hobbies, life away from work).

Photo(s) of completed work (prefer at least two but the more the merrier).

Short bio on the company.

One satisfied client’s testimonial.

Continued Support

Our retail staff will recommend these pages to inquiring customers.

Throughout the year we will feature completed web pages on our Facebook page advertising them and their services to thousands of potential clients on the Olympic Peninsula.

We continually scour local Facebook pages for home owner inquiries of whom in the area people would recommend for specific jobs. We will post links to these posts with the pages that fit their desired job question.

Your page can be modified and updated as you see fit. If you have new pictures of completed jobs, contact us and we’ll update your page with them to keep it new and relevant.

We will show you how to link and advertise your new page on the web. Whether it be your personal Social media page, a Facebook post, in an email or featured on a business card, we are here to help.

Have you ever felt like you did not get what you paid for? At one point or another in life all of us will have that feeling. It is a lot like a bourbon and soda that is nearly all soda. In every business there is an opportunity to cut a corner or reduce an expense by taking out some of the “good stuff”. At Angeles Millwork and Lumber Company and Hartnagel Building Supply, we are all about putting more of the “good stuff” back into what you are buying.

Against some national competitors, we see that products are being sold into our market space that are a far cry from what they used to be.

A great example is in pressure treated lumber. It is not always rated for ground contact, even though it looks and feels just like the same product you can buy at every other lumber yard in the area.

In some cases, the same pressure treated lumber they sell is a construction grade that is not even building code approved.

Other product benefits we sell are not always as clear cut as the differences in our treated lumber but they are equally as important. For example, the cedar decking products at our stores, from the 5/4 x4 to the 2×6, are kiln dried so that you can finish your project quickly. Green decking products require them to be installed and seasoned well beyond being dry on the surface, before you can apply the deck stain of your choice. (When you deck stain does not last as long as the can said it would, your deck was probably not as dry as it should have been.)

Our kiln dried decking products can be installed, stained, and enjoyed about eight weeks faster than product bought as green or wet. Your time and effort are worth something to us and dry decking is one way that we can prove it.

On top of the products you buy, service is the “good stuff” that many people need when they do not speak the home repair or building language. Rather than asking you to learn to speak building materials, our stores will spend more than 1000 hours in 2016 dedicated to training on our products and services so that we are better at speaking your language when you stop by. I am confident that you will enjoy the difference!

When you choose to buy from us, you will get what you pay for. Sometimes we will be less expensive and sometimes we will be more. The one thing you should never have to question is the value you receive or wonder if you got any scotch with your soda!

As you shop the stores, visit us online, or have questions about the products we sell compared to our competition, please ask the salesperson or email me at kellyf@lumbertradersinc.com and we will be happy to help.